May Foodie Pen Pal Reveal

Wednesday

3 miles - 1 mile intervals w/abs in between

28:32

Cross Fit workout - KILLER!

3x for time

1 clean + 3 front squats (65#)

40 yard sprint

10 thrusters (65#, 65#, 45#)

10 high knee jumps

30 dead lifts (75#)

Time: 13:42

Thursday

5 miles - trail

53:00 

In case you have been paying attention the last few days, yes I have been running more frequently, and yes that is due to me doing the Runner's World Running Streak!  I've never done a running streak before, but I'm excited to do it, I think it will be good for me mentally to push through it even when I don't want to.  

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In case you missed it earlier this week, check out the first of many posts in my new CSCS Series featuring Winning Sports Nutrition!  

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So I have decided that I need to stop doing the Foodie Pen Pal program, because it is making my year absolutely fly by!  I have been a part of the program since December and I feel like these past six months have just disappeared out from under me!   Well obviously I'm not serious about quitting the program, because I love it too much!  This month my package came from Danni over at Healthy Kitschy Vegan!

All the goods

Yes you see that correctly, she did put a book in my package...brilliant!  I love to read!  Unfortunately I have already read the first and second book in the series, but I love the book so I will probably read it again and if nothing else I can lend it to friends/family!   Seriously Danni I loved the book idea, even though it's not necessarily foodie :)

The rest of the stuff in the package I was really excited to see because it was all new to me!  I love trying new things good or bad.

Dagoba dark chocolate- This was extra dark chocolate and was actually kind of bitter.  I didn't like it plain, but it was good when I topped it off with some chocolate peanut butter (see below)!

Organic Hemp Protein Powder- I have always wanted to try hemp protein powder, so this was exciting to find in my package.  I wanted to try it with just water so I could get a feel for the true flavor so I mixed some with water...eh yuck!  Don't try that, it tastes like grass.  I think there was a reason they never suggested mixing with just water on the back of the package.  So I blended some fruit into my water-hemp mix to make a smoothie.  That helped make it a little more bearable, but I don't think I would purchase this product  from the store... is their a vanilla or chocolate flavor?  I'm still on the prowl for the perfect protein powder! 

Larabar-  Love, love, love Larabars ever since I tried my first one a few months ago from a pen pal!  The blueberry muffin flavor was delicious too!

I love all nut butters!  I haven't found one that I haven't liked yet!  I have yet to try the cashew butter, but I highly doubt it will disappoint!  Any suggestions what to eat it on, with or in?  

I think this might be what heaven feels like.  I'm typically not a huge peanut butter cookie fan, I prefer Plain Jane chocolate chip cookies, but these were awesome!  No joke, I promise I'm not just saying this because Danni will read this post...can I have the recipe?  By the way, I made a rookie mistake with these....since I'm so kind I took them to my sister's to share them and I accidentally left them there :(  Good thing I ate half of them before I took them over. 

I'm so happy I got my package and was able to snap some pictures of my goodies before my camera broke...that would've been tragic to not have pictures of my box!  Thank you so much Danni for all my great  goodies, I loved trying all new things!  Be sure to stop by Mariza's blog and check out what I sent her!

If you're interested in joining the Foodie Pen Pal Program here’s a detailed explanation of the program:

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.

-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!

-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!

-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)

-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

- Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We’ve determined things might get too slow and backed up if we’re trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. So, I’m going to keep two separate lists and match US w/ US and Canada w/ Canada!

***If you’re in Europe, please contact Carol Anne from This Is Rock Salt at rocksalt@thisisrocksalt.com to get involved!

If you have any questions or want more information about joining get in contact with Lindsay over at The Lean Green Bean! If you're ready to sign up, click here to fill out a participation form!

Winter Running Tips

While out for my morning run yesterday, I found myself thinking of all the winter running tid bits I have learned over my time of running here in the Midwest.  So from one winter runner to another, here are my winter running tips...

1. Shorten your strides- with the ground being icy you should shorten your strides to prevent slipping on icy paths.
2. Strategically plan your route- Run past businesses, schools, hospitals or on state trails, they are more likely to have their sidewalks cleared and salted after a snowfall.  If you find a particular loop that is always clear, run loops on that path.
3. Outsmart the weather- Try to stay away from open roads.  Run on city blocks with tall buildings or in an area that has a lot of trees to help fend off the wind and/or snow.  Any little bit helps!
4. Avoid icy roads and sidewalks at all cost- Go to the other side of the street, see #2, do anything you can do to avoid icy paths, especially going up and down hills. 
5. Be realistic- Don't get discouraged if your outdoor mile time gets slower during the winter season. You should and have to slow down during the winter due to the snow and the cold temps (takes your body longer to warm up).  This doesn't mean you should settle,  keep pushing yourself! 
6. Be flexible-When the winter months hit, it is colder in the morning (just like in other times of the year), if your schedules allow try to run in the middle of the day when it is at it's warmest.  
7. Hydrate- As the winter months ride in people drink less and less water.  Even though you may not be able to see the sweat when you workout, does not mean that it is not there. You can sweat as much as you do in the summer, especially when you are bundled up in lots of layers.  Drink plenty of water before, during and after your run. 

Blonde Moment

On my way in from my run yesterday I had a total blonde moment!  I looked down at my Garmin and it said 3.51 miles, and I really wanted to be able to put 4 pennies in my running reward jar so I thought I will just run to the other entrance in my building to complete my four miles.  As I ran to the other entrance in my building I saw my Garmin  approaching 3.59 miles and was excited that I would reach the 4 mile mark... that is until I remember I am looking at miles, not minutes!

Side note: please don't be offended that I used the terminology "Blonde Moment"

Workouts
Here is this weeks fitness plan... and here it what has actually happened....

Monday-
3.63 miles/32 minutes
2.10 miles/20 minutes

I ended up splitting my running up yesterday because my sister called and asked if I could watch my nephew, which happened to be at the exact time I was going to workout.  I'm a sucker and said yes, and ran out the door to get a partial run in.  I missed yoga due to babysitting, which isn't the end of the world, and then fit in a couple more miles after my last client.

Tuesday-
30 minute bike (moderate intensity)
45 minute strength training

Here's what my lift looked like...

KB (elevated) Sum Squat 4x12

SB Walk-About 1x around

Upright Bar Row 4x12

Dips 4x12

DB Incline Press 4x12

MB Slammers 4x20

Between each pair of exercises previously mentioned I did the following...

Tread Wall Climb 1:30

Skater x 20

Bird-Dog Pushups x 10

Post workout I had the most RaNdOm snack...

I know random!

SURPRISE!
I lost 5 pounds... of hair that is! Okay maybe it wasn't 5 pounds, but I definitely lost about 6 inches.

September in Review

WOW! Really?!  September is over!  Yikes, time has really been flying these last few months!  Here is a little Wealth is Health September recap :)

I'm CSCS Certified (Part 1, Part 2)
Football Season Returns
Favorite September recipes: Enchiladas and Chicken Pot Pie
Modeling Debut (PS still waiting for more pictures)
My Big 2-5


Around 9 this morning I headed out for a 10 mile run, longest of my half marathon training to date, however, 10 turned into 9 when my knee started hurting a little and my legs started stiffening up.  Right around the 6.5 mile mark my knee started hurting just a hair, so I took a couple walk breaks from mile 6.5 to the end (you can tell by my splits).  I'm not a huge fan of taking walking breaks during my runs, but if I need them I need them.  Today I maybe took one or two that I didn't actually need, but I am pretty good about making my breaks very short, aka 1 block tops.  I tried to run in places around town where I knew I would run into hills to help train myself for the hilly half coming up in a couple weeks.

I have cut most of my long runs by a mile of two compared to what is on my training plan, but I'm not too worried about that because for my first marathon my longest run before the race was only 8 miles and I only did that once.  I have run a lot more longer runs during this training plan compared to last time I trained.

GARMIN STATS

Distance: 9.30 miles

Total Time: 1:29:56

Calories: 1169

Before I ran out the door today I threw on both my Garmin and my Nike+ so that I could compare the two. Turns out my Garmin is a little on the faster side and my Nike+ is a little on the slower side. To be honest, not sure which one was closer to the real deal, I ran a lot on the trails and those don't show up very well on the mapmyrun.com.

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Every year this week is a big week for my family...

Sept. 29 --> My birthday

Sept. 30 --> My brother's birthday

Oct. 1 --> Parents' anniversary

Oct. 2 --> Uncle's birthday (he passed away about five years ago, but it added to the craziness)

Happy anniversary Mom & Dad!

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Off to enjoy an exciting weekend in Wisconsin sports.... Brewers tournament game (win!), Badgers vs. Nebraska, and Packers vs. Denver

Wisconsin State Track

Whew!  Am I ever glad that is over! I'm sure you're wondering what it is that I am so exhausted and excited for the end of, huh?  WI STATE TRACK!  

Anyone out there a former track runner?

I love our new stadium and track

As much as I love working this event, it is so incredibly exhausting!  

Runners getting in their lanes

My job here at State Track, for the past four years, is to be in charge of the small concession stand.  I basically run back and forth on a gator bringing them food, drinks, cookies, etc. as needed.  I know, I know, this doesn't sound all the tiring or difficult.  However, if you are the only person hauling all of this stuff, it is!  

State records are being broken on this track!

Today, I lifted and loaded over fifty 24 packs of soda/water/Gatorade (and plenty of other foods) within 3 hours! Not to mention the 96 degree heat (again) today!  Needless to say, my arms and body were wiped out!  

The Crowd

So I did what any reasonable person would do and I came home plopped on the couch, turned on the AC, turned on the tv, and drank myself a brewski :)

Just for the record, I usually drink Miller :)

Yikes! This pic makes my calves look enormous!

After getting my feet up for a few hours and watching a couple movies... I think I'm ready to go again!  My willingness to get up and get going again is aided by my old GA buddies that are back in town tonight :)  Off to have a rockin' good night!  Hope you have one yourself!

P.S  Can you believe that some little high school girl ran the mile in 4:51 (new state record)!!!  I can barely run half a mile at my normal pace that quickly!  I think maybe sometime this week I might try to run a mile as fast as I can and see how I compare.... It might get ugly!  Anyone have a PR anything comparable to that?

National Running Day Miracle + My Dilemma

First thing's first, I totally forgot about the professional pictures taken during my half marathon back in May (I know pathetic) and just remembered them yesterday so I posted the couple pictures they had of me on my "Race" page, check them out!

Anyway, last night, on National Running Day, I found my old Nike + that I thought did not work, while I was cleaning my room.  Well I was about to throw it away when I decided, "no I'll give it one more try", so I plugged it into my ipod and sure enough Nike + booted up on my screen (this is more than what it used to do, I'm not sure what exactly happened)!  Since it was late, I did not get a chance to go for a walk or run to see if it really worked or not, so today my girl friend Carrie and I went for a walk to return a movie.  I wasn't sure if it was really going to work or not and I didn't want to get my hopes up in case it clunked out on me again.  As we started walking I monitored the distance and pace to make sure things were on track and reading like they should and sure as shit (as the express goes) it worked!  I'm so jacked!  I used to use my Nike + all the time when I ran, and when it stopped working for me I bought my Garmin.  Now I'm going to go back to using my Nike + since I'm not the biggest fan of my Garmin!

Here's my first logged bit of exercise!  Can't wait to take it out on my first run!  It's been a year and a half since I used this last, so I'm impressed that it is working. I'm also impressed with the updated nikeplus.com features!  It must be some kinda National Running Day miracle!

Workout
30 minutes biking with speed and hill intervals
15 minutes lifting
40 minute walk

My Dilemma 
While I was lifting today, I grew increasingly frustrated with the university's weight room, which actually caused me to leave and cut my lift a little short.  Why am I so frustrated with the weight room?  Right now we are in the process of a big switch over with the facility.  The weight room is no longer going to be controlled by the athletics side, but rather the fitness center side.  Since this is happening they are trying to remodel the weight room a little (aka paint mostly).  Now I understand that the summer is the best time to do this remodeling process, but there are also some things that I should be able to expect from my $60 summer fee to use the weight room.  Here are my issues with the weight room right now:

1. All equipment (ellipticals, weights, machines, etc) are all pulled away from the wall, limiting the already limited working space and creating obstacles. 
2. The cubbies are no longer in the room, which means users have no where to put their bags/belongings, which has resulted in people placing their bags randomly throughout the room... ummm, not safe. 
3. The free weight rack has been removed for repair or painting or something, and thus the free weights are sitting on the floor.  Not only are they sitting on the floor, they are scattered and in a totally random order so you have to go on a scavenger hunt to find the 15 lbs dumbbells you want to curl.  
4. Paint fumes + people working out = fainting and other bad things. Enough said. 
5. There is dust from sanding the walls on all of the equipment. Time for somebody to get out the feather duster!
6.  The workers do not do anything to help matters.  I know this because I know some of the workers there and they always say how they never do anything there and they just sit on the computer searching stuff.  This time could be put to use organizing #3 or cleaning #4 on my list. 
7. And finally, the door to the weight room, which is usually accessed by swiping your member card, has been left wide open multiple days to try to air out the room.  Having the door wide open means that any student can just walk in without swiping their card (aka they have no membership).  

So, for these reasons I feel like I should either get a refund, discount or at least be given the satisfaction of seeing the workers actually do something to better the weight room.  I could easily get a membership at Snap Fitness or the YMCA for the same price that actually gives me a decent place to work in. I mean I'm paying not only for the equipment I use, but also the appearance/quality of the place, right?  I know the director of the weight room, so I think on Monday I am going to go talk to him, however, I'm not exactly sure how to go about it due to our relationship (he is an influential person in my human performance program).  Am I out of line here?  What would you suggest I do?  Sorry for the vent, but thank you ahead of time for any input you may have :)

PS Someone needs to take these cookies away from me, I am dominating them far too quickly!

Zucchini Lasagna

I spent a few hours at the library today and walking out I felt like I robbed the place.  I haven't checked out this many items since I was in my elementary library book reading club!

• Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
• I'm With Fatty by Edward Ugel 
• P90X Total Body Plus video
• Biggest Loser Weight Loss Yoga video (I never knew they had workout videos at the library until today!!!  Where have I been?!)
• Skinny Bitch - A no-nonsense tough-love guide for savvy girls who want to stop eating crap and start looking fabulous! (audio book)

Can't wait to start in on these!  I will be doing a book review of the last couple books I just finished reading towards the end of the week.  Do you have any good reads or videos that I should be checking out?!

FITNESS
10 minutes rowing
25 minutes elliptical
25 minutes biking
20 minutes lifting

      I did this circuit of lifts twice

• Push ups - 15 (BW)
• Mountain Climbers - 20/leg (BW)
• Bicep Curls - 12 (10 lbs)
• RDL - 12 (bar)
• Military press - 12 (bar)
• Tricep dips on bench - 12 (BW)
• SB roll outs - 12 (BW)

      Then followed up with a couple additional abs: Eiffel towers (2 x 5) and SB med ball twists (2 x 10)

= Schweaty mess!

CHOW TIME
Breakfast 
The newest addition to my pantry as well as the first gluten free item, Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal!  And mighty tasty it was!

I made the cereal hot on the stove and then added raspberries, honey and a little milk and whipped it up...

Until it was a pink color!

The addition of raspberries gave it just the slightest hint of sweetness that it needed.  I may have to try a cold option of this cereal though, because it was far to hot for the summer weather.  Has anyone tried this cereal in a cold breakfast yet? Suggestions?

Lunch 
Lunch was my new obsession: hummus wrap. I think I have given up on deli meat, that used to be my go-to lunch sandwich, but I have not purchased that in over two months!  I think this is a good swap and the price difference between deli meat and hummus (based on how long it lasts me) it pretty minimal.  Anyway, also on the wrap were green peppers, spinach leaves and ranch dressing.  I also had a side of cottage cheese and one of these guys for dessert...

Last time I made one of these it was raspberry, this time I opted for strawberry banana... mmm mmm mmm!

Dinner
This recipe was given to me by my dear friend Jeana, I'm not sure if she made this up herself (she is vegetarian and does not eat cheese) or if she found it somewhere... I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt and say she created it :)  The last time I made this, I made it with her so we followed the recipe exactly.  However, since then she has moved hundreds of miles away from me so I was forced to make this by myself (not a vegetarian and I am a cheese lover), so I made a few modifications (ie: zucchini instead of eggplant because that's what I had in my refrigerator and added ricotta cheese).

Zucchini/Eggplant Lasagna 

1 Tbsp Olive oil

2 med zucchinis or 1 med eggplant

56 oz. tomato sauce 

1 lb lasagna noodles

1 clove garlic

Fresh spinach 

1 pkg mushrooms

Ricotta cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Chop garlic and mushrooms and add to olive oil in a large pan.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Add chopped zucchini/eggplant and cook 5-7 minutes.  

Cover the bottom of a glass 9x13 pan with tomato sauce, then layer noodles on top of that.  Slather however much Ricotta cheese you would like onto the noodles, then layer spinach, zucchini mix, noodles and sauce until ingredients are gone.  Finish with a top layer of noodles and sauce.  

Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes.  Makes 10 large servings. 

Bon Appetit! 

Disaster Zone = Emotional Run

For those of you who read my blog regularly you know this is an odd time for me to post.  However, this morning I had, what I felt, something blog-worthy to post about and a few minutes to do so.

This morning I did what I normally do; I got up, checked out some blogs, ate a pre-workout snack, then hit the road for a run.  However, on the way out the door I knew this run was different from others for a few reasons: 1.) I had an idea of how far I wanted to run (4 miles), but I did not map it out. 2.) I was going to wing the run (I never do this, I always have a set route). 3.) I heard there was some damage over on Green Bay St. from the tornado last night so I was going to run that way to check it out and let that determine my route.

Green Bay St. is about 1.5 miles from my apartment.  This first mile and a half I got to experience what I consider to be normal.  However, the next .75 miles took me the longest out of the entire 3.65 mile route.  I truly did not expect to see what I saw.  I have been so incredibly fortunate to have never been in or right near any sort of natural disaster zone, this is the closest I have ever been.  There were trees uprooted, power lines down, roofs blown off, metal bent around poles, electricians, policemen and firefighters everywhere!  I wish I had pictures to show you because what I am telling you could never give you the full effect, but I do not normally run with my camera and even if I did I don't think it would have been appropriate to be taking pictures at the expense of many other peoples' misfortune.  I saw many people out on the streets who lived in the houses that were ruined or damaged by the storm which was absolutely heart breaking, and was probably the point in which I got the lump in the back of my throat.  I went as far as I could on Green Bay Street which was supposed to one of the streets that got hit pretty hard.  I didn't make it that far at all due all the sidewalks obstructed by trees and parts of buildings/houses.  I then turned down 13th street and went two blocks that way and there was still a little damage, mostly trees and branches down.  Once I got back on to West Ave, which was only two blocks (towards my apartment) from where I had just seen a completely different world, it was as if nothing had ever happened last night.  It's so crazy that there can be such a fine line in a city where disaster hit and where it didn't.  So I carried on with the lump in my throat for the next mile.  As I was running North on West Ave I could see a bunch of police/ambulance/fire truck lights ahead of me, so I decided to go down that far to see what was up and then turn towards my apartment to head home.  I really shouldn't have done that.  When I got down to where all the lights were, I saw it was a four car pile up and at least one person was being sent to the hospital. Breaking point...Big tears welled up in my eyes.  I really wasn't sure what to do with myself, I had never had this kind of experience on a run, nor did it bring back good memories.  After I turned right before the accident I walked the rest of the way home.

This morning was a little bit overwhelming for me, but I think it was a good way for me to start my day and make me realize how lucky I am and how thankful I should be.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families' and individuals affected by last night's tornadoes! 

St. Clare Health Mission Half Marathon

Jeana & I

13.1 accomplished!!!  Yesterday I ran in the St. Clare Health Mission Half Marathon, this was my first half marathon.  I was really nervous that I wasn't going to be prepared for the race since my PDR (personal distance record) was only 8.5 miles pre-race.  But what I didn't realize was that the atmosphere and adrenaline you feel during the race is enough to push you through more than you think you can get through! 

About 4 months ago my girl friend, Jeana, convinced me to run this race with her.  I guess it didn't take much convincing, because I've been wanting to run one for a loooong time, but she gave me the push I needed to sign up.  THANK YOU JEANA!  The 4 months of training was long and to be honest may have even been too long, because the last couple weeks I struggled to follow my training plan... I needed some more variety, or maybe I needed more races (5K, 10K) during my training period to mix things up.  

Race day temperature wasn't too bad, a cool 40 degrees, the only problem was the wind.  You can tell from the picture above that the wind was blowing quite a bit.  I thought I was going to get really bored over the course of the race, but most of the course was through an area I had never been to so it kept it interesting.  The first hour of the race flew by and my body felt great up until mile 10 when my legs started to feel a little like lead.  But I knew there were only 3 miles left, that was enough to keep me moving.  I think I got a little too excited at mile 11 knowing the end was so close because I kicked it into the next gear!  I was able to cross the finish line feeling strong and I crushed my goal time of 2:10... my time was 2:05 (on my watch and what I remember seeing as I crossed the line)!  I am still waiting for the results to be posted on the race website to see where I ranked, and to see my official time.  

It is amazing what your body can adapt to when you train it.  When I started training the furthest I had ever run was 5 miles, and I only did that a couple times.  My body would be spent after those 5 milers.  After 13.1 yesterday, by body was definitely sore, but not as bad as a I thought it would be.  All in all, the toll the race took on my body was not enough to scare me off from other half marathons!

Can't wait to sign up for my next half!

If the body says no... listen!

Today was one of those days, when my body just said "no, I can't do everything you want me to today". My half-marathon training plan calls for an 8 mile run today, but because of the weather, the fact that I was sick this week and last week was the first time I ever ran 7 miles straight, I planned a slightly shorter run... 7.38 miles. Well I set out at 2:20 and had my heart set on being back by 3:30, an hour and 10 minute goal time.  At about mile 6, my body was donzo, needed a break! My right knee was acting up (haven't had problems with that since my basketball days), my heart rate spent 51 minutes out of my "heart rate zone" (over 180), which was due to the intense amount of hills on my route which I did not expect, and I did not bring water.  Yes I know, excuses, excuses!  But the "excuses" won today.  I am learning to listen to my body better. I ended up walk/running my last 1.38 miles and finished in 1 hour 20 minutes, not too far off from my goal.  I'm going to adjust my workout plan just a hair and work for 8 miles next week... oh yeah and start icing to prevent a something worse with my knee :)

Eats
Breakfast: Honey Nut Cheerios, slice of wheat toast w/butter
Snack: Rocky Road Cake Pop from Starbucks... I recommend! Moist, sweet, delicious and small!
Lunch: Red potato w/a little creamy broccoli soup overtop
Post-workout snack: Key lime pie flavored Greek yogurt
Dinner: ? Not sure yet ? What are you having for dinner?


A Moment in the Mind of a 5-Year-Old
Quote of my night last night at the sleepover I had with my almost 5-year-old niece, "Auntie Mac, a little guy came into our house last night and turned out milk green! I don't know how they did it and I don't know who it was! Isn't that so weird!" Have to love my sister and brother-in-law's little trick on my niece for St. Patrick's Day!  What did you do for St. Patrick's Day?

My niece this summer

How is your bracket doing after all of yesterday's games? Alright off to enjoy more March Madness!